SciTech

​Uber app mocks New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio

Users of the Uber app have a number of options for ordering a pickup: uberT to get a taxi, uberPool to share a ride, uberX for a low cost option. And right now in New York e-hailers have another choice -- but it doesn't look good.

In an effort to rally its users against a New York City Council bill that would limit the growth of Uber in the five boroughs, the company added a "de Blasio" mode to its app. Selecting it takes the estimated wait time from a few minutes to 25.

Pulling the slider to de Blasio removes available cars from the app's animated map and leads to an explanation that reads, "This is what Uber will look like in NYC if Mayor de Blasio's Uber cap bill passes. Email the Mayor and City Council. Say 'NO' to de Blasio's Uber!"

UberX shows an estimated wait time of 3 minutes (left), while the de Blasio option, which protests a proposed bill in New York, shows a 25-minute wait time to represent the result of limiting on-demand driver growth.

The bill would cap the number of new for-hire licenses to 1 percent growth, or around 200 cars, over the next year, while the Taxi and Limousine Commission conducts a study on how the growth of vehicles on the road has impacted traffic, air quality and noise.

Uber said it projected adding 10,000 new drivers in New York in that time.